Christmas school holidays 2021: When do schools break up in December in London?

Families will be looking forward to spending quality time together this festive season after last Christmas’ festivities were cancelled due to Covid.

The end of the autumn school term is fast approaching, but with all the events and chaos of Christmas it can be hard to keep up with dates.

The Christmas holidays usually last around two weeks across the whole of the UK, however dates often vary across the capital.

When do London schools break up for Christmas?

Almost all schools in the capital will break up for Christmas on Friday December 17.

There are some exceptions to these dates:

Westminster and Greenwich break up on Thursday December 16.

Tower Hamlets and Newham break up on Monday December 21.

The return date for all schools is Tuesday January 4.

Omicron variant

With the new ultra-transmissible Covid variant Omicron there could be further restrictions.

Face masks have been brought back to schools, on public transport and shops in light of the new super mutation.

However, government officials have ruled out closing schools early ahead of Christmas, saying it would only be the last resort.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi reiterated this sentiment in his statement.

He promised to “continue to prioritise children’s and young people’s education and wellbeing, making sure education and childcare settings are as safe as possible and children continue to benefit from classroom teaching”.

You can find further information regarding school holidays by putting your postcode into the government website.